हिंदीOn this day
Standing

Parijatavaneswarar (Kalarmulainathar) Temple, Tirukkalar

Durvasa’s grove of parijata trees, where Shiva danced for the sage who had missed the dance at Chidambaram. Sambandar sang it.

Built: Large Chola-period temple with an 80-foot, five-tiered east gopuramWhere: Tamil Nadu (Tiruvarur district)Deity: Bhagwan Shiva as Parijatavaneswarar (Kalarmulainathar); Devi as Amudhavalli (Azhageswari)10.56° N, 79.57° E
Photo: Harizen20 · CC BY-SA 4.0

01Durvasa’s parijata grove

Durvasa heard that Patanjali and Vyaghrapada had seen the Lord’s dance at Chidambaram and longed to see it too. The temple’s katha says he brought parijata flowers from the heaven of the devas, planted a grove, set up a linga under a parijata tree, dug a spring and had Vishwakarma build a shrine, and here Shiva danced for him. Kalari is a dancing floor, so the place is Tirukkalar and the Lord Kalarmulainathar. Durvasa stands in worship with folded hands and is said to have performed the first consecration. Ashtabhuja Durga sits on her lion in the outer mandapa, and Aghora Veerabhadra faces west in a shrine of his own.

Visiting

About 22 km from Mannargudi on the Tiruthuraipoondi road, and 10 km from Tiruthuraipoondi.

Nearby

Kozhundeeswarar Temple, KotturStanding
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Kozhundeeswarar Temple, Kottur

Kottur, on the Mannargudi–Thiruthuraipoondi road, keeps a west-facing linga and a Devi whose name means she of honeyed speech. Sambandar sang it.

Neenerinathar Temple, Tiruthandalai Neeneri (Thandalaicheri)Standing
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Neenerinathar Temple, Tiruthandalai Neeneri (Thandalaicheri)

One of the raised maadakkoil shrines that the Periya Puranam credits to Kochengat Chola. Here, says the katha, the stone Nandi ate the king’s garland of grass and his disease left him.

Agneeswarar Temple, TirukkollikkaduStanding
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Agneeswarar Temple, Tirukkollikkadu

Agni, the fire, worshipped Shiva here, and the place is the forest of the firebrand. Families troubled by Shani come to the separate shrine of Pongu Saneeswarar.

Vanduranathar Temple, Tiruvandurai (Vendurai)Standing
Cholas and the Southern Seas

Vanduranathar Temple, Tiruvandurai (Vendurai)

Vandu is a bee. The sage Bhringi, who would circle only Shiva and not the Devi, took the form of a bee here to keep up his worship. Sambandar sang the shrine.